An El Paso educator known for her kindness and helping those in need died after she was struck by a moving vehicle while trying to stop another woman from driving drunk, court documents show.
Ana Maria Paniagua, 57, offered to drive Aurora Morales, 62, home around 5:20 p.m. on Feb. 7 because she was concerned Morales was drunk as she was dealing with the anniversary of her son’s death, a criminal affidavit states.
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Ana Maria Paniagua, 57, died after a vehicle struck her while trying to help an alleged drunken driver on Feb. 7, 2026, in the 7800 block of North Loop Drive in El Paso’s Lower Valley.
As Morales tried to switch seats, her 1999 Ford F350 truck rolled back into the parking lot of Juanito’s Liquor Store in the 7800 block of North Loop Drive in the Lower Valley. The truck fatally hit Paniagua.
Paniagua was a paraprofessional at Jefferson High School, El Paso Independent School District officials said.
“No matter who she was, Ana Maria did not hesitate to help someone in need,” her family wrote on a GoFundMe page. “Tragically, during this act of kindness, there was an accident involving the same vehicle they were trying to assist.
“Ana Maria was known for always putting others first and never asking for support. Serving others in their time of need was just who she was.”
Morales faces a charge of DUI homicide in connection with Paniagua’s death. No attorney is named for Morales in court filings.
The teacher was trying to stop the alleged drunk driver
El Paso police officers met with Paniagua’s daughter at Del Sol Medical Center, where Paniagua was treated after the accident. Paniagua later died in hospital from injuries sustained in the accident.
The daughter told officers that she and her mother had seen Morales outside her home earlier, appearing to need assistance. Paniagua stopped by Morales’ house and checked on her.
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Morales told Paniagua that she doesn’t usually drink alcohol, but she drank that day because she remembered her son, who was killed eight years ago on February 22. She drinks “in an attempt to forget her son’s death,” the affidavit states.
Paniagua and another bystander helped Morales back into her front yard and called for medical attention. EMTs arrived and helped Morales back into her home.
Paniagua and her daughter finished running errands and decided to go back to Morales’ house to check on him. They discovered that a vehicle previously parked at the house was gone.
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The mother and daughter drove around the area, especially where there were bars, to try to find Morales. They spotted Morales’ truck outside the liquor store.
Paniagua approached the driver’s side window and spoke to Morales. The truck was going and going into reverse. He offered to drive Morales home. Morales moved to the center seat and released the brake, the affidavit said.
The truck started rolling backwards. Paniagua was caught by the left front tire, which flipped over the median, the statement said.
“I’ve never seen her”
At the scene of the accident, an officer told Morales that she had been involved in an accident. Morales replied: “I know, I was driving back, but I never looked at her.,” meaning in English, “I know, I was driving backwards, but I never saw her,” the affidavit states.
An officer wrote in the affidavit that Morales had “shiny red eyes, but noted that the defendant (Morales) had been crying as he spoke” to the officer.
Aurora Morales
Morales was taken to a police station and placed in a cell. She was questioned by officers. Morales recalled being at the liquor store and reversing when she heard banging on the left side window of her truck, the affidavit said. She told Paniagua that the window didn’t work and to open the door.
An officer asked if Morales had been driving. Morales replied that she wasn’t driving and that her friend was driving, but she “didn’t want to get in trouble,” the affidavit said.
Morales first claimed he got out of the vehicle from the driver’s side, but later claimed he got out of the truck “from the driver’s side,” the affidavit states. The officer who interviewed her reportedly smelled alcohol coming from Morales.
Officers administered a field sobriety test on Morales, which she failed. She was arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter.
Morales remains jailed on $250,000 bond at the El Paso County Jail. A bond hearing is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 19, court records show.
Aaron Martinez covers the criminal justice system for the El Paso Times. He can be reached at amartinez1@elpasotimes.com.
This article originally appeared on the El Paso Times: El Paso educator dies after trying to stop alleged drunk driver